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Tassadar
Tassadar, aged 356, was a Protoss High Templar and Executor in charge of the Expeditionary Force which made first contact with the Zerg. His forces made first contact with the Terrans by sterilizing the surface of Chau Sara in an effort to stem the growth of the Zerg. Tassadar was extremely reluctant to sacrifice the Terrans in order to destroy the Zerg.Underwood, Peter, Bill Roper, Chris Metzen and Jeffrey Vaughn. StarCraft (Manual). Irvine, Calif.: Blizzard Entertainment, 1998. He eventually lost his position as Executor for sparing the Terrans and consorting with the Dark Templar. Tassadar was voiced by Michael Gough.Casting of StarCraft. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved on 2007-10-24. Biography Tassadar the Executor Tassadar's Expeditionary Force made first contact between the Protoss and the Zerg when he discovered organic probes floating in deep space. He had them brought back to Aiur for study, and eventually subjected them to an analysis with Khaydarin Crystals. He was horrified by what he discovered: not only did they naturally react to the crystals (revealing their Xel'Naga origin) but he could read their vague thoughts, "Find Humanity ... Eradicate ... Learn ... Evolve". The Conclave ordered him to remove the threat immediately. Tassadar approached Chau Sara, a Terran planet and the first to fall in the Zerg invasion. The Zerg had almost completely covered the planet in a thick, toxic substance (Creep), with most of its inhabitants having been infested or slaughtered by the Zerg. The Conclave, having learnt of the colony's fate, ordered Tassadar to erradicate the planet. Tassadar reluctantly brought his lumbering vessels into low orbit and attacked, sterilizing the planet's surface. Unfortunately, other nearby planets had also been infested, and Tassadar was ordered to sterilize them as well. The nearest such planet was Mar Sara. Upon his approach, he was met by a hesitant Terran Confederacy fleet, but instead of attacking them, Tassadar announced himself and withdrew, unable to follow his genocidal orders. Eventually, the Confederacy pulled its military structure from Mar Sara and the Sons of Korhal evacuated the planet.StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Mission: Desperate Alliance (in English). 1998.StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Mission: The Jacobs Installation (in English). 1998. Tassadar still tried to rescue surviving Confederacy soldiers at Fire Base Chimera, who were under attack by the Zerg. The base was overrun by the time Tassadar arrived with a small escort, and Tassadar, fighting his way inside, found a sole Terran Marine inside the infirmary, Gunnery Sergeant Andre Madrid, a native of Chau Sara, who had been attacked by the Zerg and bore its virus, slowing infesting him. They had a conversation about the Protoss' anti-Zerg tactics which could have led to the deaths of many Terrans on Chau Sara, but Tassadar said that he only attacked Chau Sara when it became obvious that all the Terrans were either dead or without hope of surviving the Zerg presence. Madrid requested a clean death from Tassadar, rather than die as an Infested Terran. Tassadar granted the request.Metzen, Chris & Samuel Moore (March 29, 1999). "StarCraft: Revelations." Amazing Stories 596 (Spring): 20-27. Only then did Tassadar attack and again sterilize a planetary surface. Tassadar proceeded to Antiga Prime; he allowed the Terrans to escape, even offering an alliance with them.Rosenberg, Aaron. StarCraft: Queen of Blades. New York, London, Toronto and Sydney: Pocket Star Books, May 2006. ISBN 0-7434-7133-4.Biting the Bullet The Sons of Korhal arrived at Tarsonis, the capital planet of the Terran Confederacy. After a fierce battle they activated a number of psi-emitters, luring a massive army of Zerg to the planet in order to eliminate the Confederates.StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Mission: The Big Push (in English). 1998. Tassadar moved his fleet into position to destroy the Zerg. He might have been successful, save for the actions of a Sons of Korhal strike force led by Sarah Kerrigan. Kerrigan believed (due to her mind-reading abilities) that the Protoss were there to destroy all life on Tarsonis, not just the Zerg. In what was ironically their first confrontation of many to come, her forces defeated his but were overwhelmed in turn by the Zerg as she was betrayed and left to die by Arcturus Mengsk.StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Mission: New Gettysburg (in English). 1998. Break with the Conclave The Zerg secretly captured Kerrigan and transported her to Char, fleeing the blasted world of Tarsonis.StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Mission: Egression (in English). 1998. Tassadar was ordered to return to Aiur.StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Mission: Into the Flames (in English). 1998. However, Kerrigan subconsciously sent psychic messages to her former allies, Arcturus Mengsk and Jim Raynor,StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Mission: Agent of the Swarm (in English). 1998. and her psychic calls also attracted the attention of Tassadar and the Dark Templar Zeratul as well. Tassadar disobeyed his orders and traveled to Char. When Tassadar's forces arrived, he encountered a battle between the Zerg Swarm, which was attacking the vessels of two Terran forces, Raynor's Raiders and General Edmund Duke's Alpha Squadron. Tassadar destroyed the ships to prevent the Zerg from consuming those within, but both flagships escaped. On Char, Tassadar encountered Jim Raynor, leader of the Raiders, and explained the reasons behind the attacks. The two forces struck an alliance of sorts. Tassadar also came across the Dark Templar Prelate Zeratul, treating him as an enemy at first. Zeratul convinced him to join forces with the Protoss outcasts in order to defeat the Zerg. Zeratul believed the Zerg were controlled by agents of the Overmind called Cerebrates, and that only his Dark Templar psionic energies could permanently slay one, due to these energies' similarities to those used by Cerebrates and the Overmind. Zeratul also began teaching Tassadar how to use the Dark Templar's Void-based psionic energies, a task that was considered blasphemous by Judicator Aldaris. During the teachings, Tassadar underwent a Shadow Walk. Tassadar planned to distract the Zerg while Zeratul slew a Cerebrate.StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Mission: The Culling (in English). 1998. Tassdar proceeded to challenge Infested Kerrigan to a duel in order to distract her and the Zerg, but Zasz, Cerebrate of the Garm Brood and a rival of Kerrigan's, noticed something odd or different about Tassadar Kerrigan didn't listen to Zasz, however.StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Mission: The Dark Templar (in English). 1998. Tassadar did not actually duel Kerrigan, using an illusion to distract her while Zeratul assassinated Cerebrate Zasz. This temporarily disabled the Zerg Overmind, forcing the Zerg to eradicate Zasz' now-amok Garm Brood. When the Overmind recovered from his long pause, the Zerg launched a retaliatory attack, led by Kerrigan, on Zeratul's and Tassdar's bases.StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Mission: Eye for an Eye (in English). 1998. Both of them survived, but their armies were decimated.StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Mission: The Invasion of Aiur (in English). 1998. Kerrigan later captured Zeratul and incarcerated him in an infested Terran installation.StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Mission: Into the Darkness (in English). 1998. The Situation on Aiur On Aiur, the Zerg invaded and ran amok, held back by the efforts of the new Executor and Fenix.StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Mission: First Strike (in English). 1998. Tassadar contacted Aldaris and his friend, Praetor Fenix, on Aiur. Aldaris demanded Tassadar explain where he had been; Tassadar replied that, instead of return to Aiur, which the Conclave had ordered him to do, he followed a psionic call to the world of Char. The Dark Templar were attracted to this as well. Aldaris reacted poorly to this announcement, but Tassadar revealed he had learned much from their Prelate, Zeratul. Tassadar told them that if they destroyed the Zerg Cerebrates, than the Swarms would fall. Aldaris feared the influence of the Dark Templar, telling Tassadar he could feel their influence on his mind; he felt he couldn't trust Tassadar. Fenix, however, was willing to follow Tassadar's advice. Tassadar refused to return. Fenix's attempts to kill Zerg Cerebrate Gorn of the Baelrog Brood had been unsuccessful, as the Overmind had reincarnated the creature before his very eyes.StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Mission: Higher Ground (in English). 1998. Stirring Rebellion Tassadar hid out on a platform orbiting Char, along with his Terran friend Jim Raynor. The Protoss forces, led by Aldaris and the new Executor, came to arrest him because of his alliance with the Dark Templar.StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Mission: The Hunt for Tassadar (in English). 1998. Tassadar was surprised; he thought defending Aiur was more important. He asked the Executor to help him find Zeratul and the Dark Templar; together, they would slay the Cerebrates and defeat the Swarm. Once this happened, he would gladly turn himself over to the Conclave's judgements. The new Executor and his forces agreed to work with Tassadar. Aldaris tried one last appeal to the Executor and Tassadar, calling Tassadar "Aiur's favored son". Tassadar said he would rather give up that status and ally with the Dark Templar out of necessity; only Dark Templar could kill Cerebrates because they shared similar energies with the Zerg. Fenix's forces had been unable to slay the Cerebrate they had attacked because the energies they wielded were useless when used directly against the Overmind and its Cerebrates.StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Mission: Choosing Sides (in English). 1998. Tassadar and his forces descended to the surface of Char in order to rescue Zeratul, who had been imprisoned in an underground installation surrounded by Zerg Hive Clusters. During the battles with the Zerg, Tassadar encountered a ruined Terran base, presided over by General Edmund Duke of the Terran Dominion's Alpha Squadron. Duke reacted in his usual aggressive fashion.Duke: "Protoss Commander, this is General Edmund Duke of the Terran Dominion Armada. You are in violation of our air-space and have endangered human lives in your reckless attack against the Zerg. I order you to withdraw your ships immediately. If you fail to comply, I will not hesitate to open fire upon your vessels." Tassadar: "General Duke, I am Tassadar, and you are well known to me. Whatever leniency I extended to you and your comrades before, may have been in error. If you persist in halting our course, we will burn your pathetic fleet down to the last man." Duke: "I'm going to have to assume that was a hostile response..." StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Mission: Choosing Sides (in English). 1998. Duke's forces were defeated. Tassadar's forces reached the installation and, allying with the desperate Terran soldiers within, defeated the Zerg, rescuing Zeratul and his Dark Templar warriors.StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Mission: Into the Darkness (in English). 1998. Zeratul remarked that Tassadar had learned the Dark Templar ways.Zeratul: "Greetings to you mighty Tassadar. I knew that you would not forsake us. For in the time that you have spent with us, you have learned to value our ways and our methods. You have learned to channel our dark power as well as that of your masters; thus, you alone have found completeness beyond the scope of the Khala." StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Mission: Into the Darkness (in English). 1998. Tassadar offered to bring Zeratul to Aiur, despite what the Conclave might think, in order to save Aiur from the Swarm. Even after Tassadar landed on Aiur and presented the evidence of the Dark Templar's vital power, the Protoss Conclave remained blinded by dogma and refused to let Tassadar and Zeratul assault the Zerg, even in the face of certain defeat. Tassadar had no choice but to begin a civil war against the Judicator Caste with the help of the Dark Templar. In so doing, Tassadar won the support of Fenix. Together, Tassadar, Zeratul, and Fenix assaulted the Conclave and broke their power, but Tassadar was distraught by the infighting and surrendered himself to Aldaris. The Dark Templar vanished, leaving the new Executor and Fenix to continue their rebellion with little support. Worse, much of the Khalai Caste remained loyal to the Judicators, vastly outnumbering the Templar. In this dark hour, help and hope came from an unexpected source: Jim Raynor, leading his Raiders in the Hyperion. Fenix's forces, with the help of Raynor, attacked the Stasis Cell in which Tassadar was incarcerated and was awaiting summary trial and execution. Fenix and Raynor defeated the Furinax and Ara tribes and destroyed the cell, freeing Tassadar. Aldaris then reappeared, leading a last-ditch attack to recapture Tassadar, but he was in turn ambushed by Zeratul and his Dark Templar. Aldaris lost the encounter and retreated back to the remnants of the Conclave, who still refused to side with Tassadar. Final Battles Tassadar rested from his ordeal while Zeratul assaulted and slew a pair of Cerebrates, before taking flight in his Carrier, the Gantrithor, to lead the final assault against the Zerg Overmind.StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Mission: Eye of the Storm (in English). 1998. Before the battle began, Aldaris contacted Tassadar, and informed that both he and the Protoss Conclave had realized that they had been wrong about him.Aldaris: "Executor. Tassadar. This comes too late to you. But the Conclave has witnessed your defeat of the Cerebrate. They know now that they cannot deny the necessity or the valiancy of your actions. We sought to punish you, while it was we who were in error. You represent what is greatest in us all, and all our hopes go with you. EN TARO ADUN, brave Sons of Aiur!" StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Mission: Eye of the Storm (in English). 1998. Aided by Raynor's Raiders, the Protoss launched a massive, full-scale offensive against the now-exposed Zerg Overmind. However, in their initial assault, the Protoss and the Terrans were only able to destroy the Overmind's outer shell. By this time the Protoss had suffered significant casualties and the Ganthritor had become critically damaged. Tassadar concentrated his psionic energies, drawn from both the Khala and the Void, into the hull of the Gantrithor and crashed it into the Overmind.StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Cinematic: The Death of the Overmind (in English). 1998. The resulting explosion succeeded in destroying the Overmind, throwing the Zerg swarms across the planet into chaos and disarray. Most of Aiur had been rendered a smoldering ruin by the Zerg invasion, however, and the swarms were still running rampant across its surface, making it somewhat of a pyrrhic victory.Underwood, Peter, Chris Metzen and Bill Roper. StarCraft: Brood War (Manual). Irvine, Calif.: Blizzard Entertainment, 1998. Legacy Due to his selfless sacrifice, Tassadar is considered a great hero by the Protoss. In Brood War his name is invoked, usually by Artanis, in the salutation "En Taro Tassadar", comparable to the traditional "En Taro Adun". "En Taro Tassadar" is also used by the Zealots in StarCraft II. Tassadar is set to make an appearance in the Dark Templar Saga, courtesy of the memories that Zamara possesses. He will be seen through the eyes of a close friend.Shadow Hunters Interview Twilight Messiah? Tassadar was referred to as a "Twilight Messiah" at BlizzCon 2007's Lore Panel.2007-08-11. The Story Behind the Legacy. StarCraft Legacy. Accessed 2007-08-11. Chris Metzen later raised the possibility that, through the Khala, Tassadar's spirit is "floating around somewhere.2007-10-08. SC:L Metzen Interview - Lore Exclusive. StarCraft Legacy. Accessed 2007-10-08. The concept is not entirely new; Templar Archives have long enabled Templar warriors to commune with their deceased ancestors. Game Unit Tassadar is notably a seasoned High Templar warrior, although he has been seen in his highly regarded Carrier form in some missions (the Gantrithor). Most intruigingly, Tassadar possesses something other High Templar do not, a regular attack. This "Psi Assault" inflicts 20 points of concussive damage to ground targets. Tassadar has double the hit points of a High Templar, and an astonishing 300 plasma shield count. References * StarCraft homepage at Blizzard Entertainment * Battle.net StarCraft Compendium * Underwood, Peter, Bill Roper, Chris Metzen and Jeffrey Vaughn. StarCraft (Manual). Irvine, Calif.: Blizzard Entertainment, 1998. Category:Protoss characters Category:StarCraft Protoss heroes